


I Broke the Cardinal Rules and Now a Demon Lives in my Apartment!

by Kharons_End



Category: Original Work/Anime Parody
Genre: (sorta) enemies to lovers, Anime parody, Demons, F/M, Fluff, Main Character Syndrome, PG13 Violence, Romance?, comedy?, fast burn...like flash fry burn, inadvertent soul searching, little bit of domestic stuff, slight tsundere
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-20
Updated: 2020-05-20
Packaged: 2021-03-03 00:27:47
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 16,048
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24295843
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kharons_End/pseuds/Kharons_End
Summary: Misty dodged 22 years worth of soliciting mascots, random portals, and cliché tropes that would start her on a crazy adventure, and it was all thanks to her four cardinal rules that she managed to keep her MCS (Main Character Syndrome) in check.She broke rule number one by accident one rainy day. He looked human, but she guessed that wasn't enough.
Relationships: Original Character/Original Character
Comments: 14
Kudos: 41
Collections: Let's Create Spring Madness 2020





	I Broke the Cardinal Rules and Now a Demon Lives in my Apartment!

**Author's Note:**

  * For [FriendlyCactus](https://archiveofourown.org/users/FriendlyCactus/gifts).



> FriendlyCactus' prompt of a human/demon in a human disguise! Any names, appearance, likeness to real people is purely coincidental (though really cool).
> 
> Also inspired by a tumblr comic that I sadly cannot track down, where the main character is born with blue hair and avoids similar situations. I'd like to put an inspired by link if I can find the artist!

Out of all of the rules she lived by, Rule number one was the most important:

 _Don’t acknowledge the weirdness_.

Misty took her (very much plain black, none of that cutesy pattern nonsense) fold-out umbrella from her satchel and pushed the button on the grip, relishing the sound of the runner sliding up the shaft and stretching the vinyl taut with a small _thump!_ She squinted at the deluge pouring out onto the quad before her, and finding no one else within the vicinity, stepped out from under the business admin building’s awning, settling on a brisk pace along the sidewalk. The oaks and maples lined the pathway like towering soldiers that stood to attention for royalty, but she paid them no mind. The last time she looked, patches of fairy rings hidden in the grass started to glow and she was having none of that today. Not when she had to wrap up a six page paper by Friday.

She made it to the crosswalk and pressed the button for the pedestrian signal with a firm gaze towards the light.

A few cars passed by, some treading slower than others in the torrent. Their tires sloshed the excess rainwater onto the pavement and made waves in the already pooling grates near the curb. Misty stood far enough away to keep dry; she had learned _that_ lesson last semester, when her clothes got soaked and the new transfer student came out of nowhere and offered to help her dry off. She politely declined and dashed home that day.

Hurried footsteps echoed from behind and she sidestepped before they could crash into her. Said footsteps belonged to a fellow student, as Misty caught a glimpse of the soggy textbook being used as an umbrella while they rushed past her and into the street.

Then she watched as a weathered, rusty green Toyota attempted to screech to a halt, but failed as it hydroplaned and collided with the pedestrian, sending them flying back about a yard. The traffic came to a stop behind them, and the man in the car came stumbling out of his vehicle to aid the dazed but otherwise alive victim.

The crosswalk light changed and Misty slipped past the onlookers with a small frown.She did her best to ignore the rapid beating of her heart and her clammy hands. There was nothing she could— should— do. On the other hand the college would _definitely_ settle any medical bills as well as tuition while on their property.

_Good for them._

She was almost home to her studio apartment, only a block away from campus and therefore a brief, _safe_ distance between classes and her sanctuary, where she didn’t have to worry about being whisked away into a magical whirlwind of a disaster with her as the main focus. She could take her shoes off and feed her ordinary but otherwise loving cat, Jingles, his favorite treat, set up her laptop on the futon, and zone in on this paper while the evening local news murmured in the background. _That was the life._

Misty rounded the corner as her apartment complex came into sight and nearly dropped her satchel.

Sweet heavens above, that was a lot of _blood_!

There in the alleyway, between the bowling alley and the coffee shop, was a man her age, crumpled against the brick facade with a gaping wound near his shoulder. He barely looked conscious, his hazy eyes looking at your form with a squint, as he grunted with effort to sit up.

“Don’t move,” she said, rushing to his side. Jesus what had this guy been doing? His track jacket was stained with blood near his left collar bone and dripping down towards his torso, bleeding into the heather grey tee underneath. His hand pressed up against the wound, and she pulled it away without a second thought as she inspected it.

Did he get mugged or something? The skin had half-torn, half sliced as if he had been stabbed with a dull Bowie knife.

He groaned in pain. his hazel eyes clouded as he looked at her. “...Hurts.”

“Well, no shit,” she retorted softly. “I’m gonna call an ambulance, okay? What’s your name?”

“Don’t,” he replied with a groan, “Can’t go to the hospital.”

“Is it an insurance thing? Money isn’t worth throwing your life away over.”

She pulled out her phone despite his protests and was working on putting in the lock password when he grabbed her wrist.

“No,” he muttered, and she looked up at his face to see...were his eyes _sparkling_?

Then she noticed the rough callouses on his hands as he loosened his grip, and her eyes darted to the suspiciously pointed fingernails this guy had. Misty shifted her gaze back up to his short-but otherwise typical haircut, and found herself humming in displeasure of the two symmetrical bumps near his temples. Not enough to be immediately noticeable, but if someone were looking for them, it would be _obvious._

She ripped her arms away in a sneer and stood, taking her discarded umbrella with her.

“I see,” she seethed quietly at the “man’s” shocked face. “You think you’re smooth, don’t you? Well, good luck.”

She turned heel and left the alleyway, back towards her destination with a scowl.

“Seriously lady?!”

Against her better judgement she turned around to glance at the man, who had managed to stand and lean against the building. His face was clearly as irritated as the wound oozed from his shoulder.

She shrugged and turned away, continuing towards her apartment. A pair of footsteps began to echo behind her, and a sense of dread washed over her. She whirled around and growled.

“Nope. No way. Go home, or to the doctor, or a clinic, or _hell._ You’re not coming back with me.”

He bared his— yes, there they were— fangs at her and returned her growl with his own deeper one.

“What the fuck is wrong with you? You’re just gonna leave some helpless, injured person on the street?!”

“Don't you have something better to do than follow a stranger around?” she retorted, clutching her umbrella in an iron grip.

He faltered once again, slipping a little against the brick and catching himself in time, grunting. “Wh-what’s your problem?!”

Misty gave him a pointed glare before turning around and crossing into the apartment’s parking lot.

“HEY! DON’T FUCKING _IGNORE_ ME!” He coughed, his voice seeming to grow faint as she outpaced him. Misty abandoned the umbrella against the concrete and reached for the keys with shaky hands as she stood at the apartment door, taking a deep breath as the tumblers clacked against the key. She jiggled the doorknob as the lock gave way.

She promptly stepped inside and sighed as she closed the door behind her and leaned against it with relief. Another close call.

Misty shrugged off her raincoat and hung it on the coat rack just before slipping off her boots and leaving them on the doormat to dry. Jingles gave her a sleepy look from her futon, curled up into a ball and content like all pampered house cats seemed to be. What she wouldn’t give for that life! Eat some food. Have some kind people pet her. Maybe go chase a mouse or two if she was bored. None of this paranoid “your life is an adventure waiting to happen” bullshit that came with her condition! Was that too much to ask?

She returned Jingles’ soft look with her own, preferring to keep the more deeper thoughts to herself. The last thing she needed was to start talking to her cat, only for her cat to talk _back_. Her heart would be broken if she had to give Jingles away.

Misty ambled over to the kitchenette, where she filled her teapot and sat it onto the burner, readying a cup of chamomile tea with two spoons of sugar. She rubbed her eyes as she stared at the kettle, allowing her mind to rest for once. Being on guard 24/7 was exhausting.

A series of loud thumps came from her door and her body stiffened.

 _No_ …

Her cat perked up as the noise continued, and Misty tugged at the hems of her sleeves as she forced herself to move towards the entrance. She held her breath as she opened the door.

Yep, he sure did. The guy followed her home. _Great_.

She slammed the door shut in his face.

“ **HEY!** ” He bellowed, slamming his fists in the door again, and she stood glaring daggers against the wood as the noise continued. Her cat pounced off the futon in favor of crawling under it, leaving her to fend for herself.

“Go away,” She demanded, the racket seeping into her head in the beginnings of a headache. Not when she had a deadline so close, come on!

“Tell me why the hell you’re a raging bit— “

She jerked open the door, causing the “human” to stumble in and collapse onto the floor, right over her rain boots.

“Stop making so much noise,” she spat. “You’re going to get me in trouble!”

He didn’t reply. In fact, he was rather still for someone who was about to break her door open a second ago. Eerily still.

He...wasn’t _dead_ , was he? Did monsters or demons or whatever he was die that easily?

A minute passed as she stared at him, unconscious on the floor with his legs still dangling over the stoop, and a trail of murky blood splattered on her patio, leading to the sidewalk and onwards.

She really hoped the rain would take care of that. She did _not_ want the police to show up on her doorstep.

With another heavy sigh, she rolled up her sleeves and dragged the rest of him into her apartment, kicking out her rain boots from underneath him and flipping him over. The wound was still gaping and raw, but now she got to see him for what he really was.

Those bumps on his head had turned into large, curling ram horns. His nails— once a passable if not unusual manicure— were now longer, sharper, and _thick_ , more akin to claws. Tough, armor-plated scales adorned his exposed skin over his hands and trailed past his clothes, peeking out from his collar and fading into more humanlike skin around his face.

And there was the long, dull-spiked lizard tail pushing out of the seam of his jeans, but Misty preferred to study... _other_ assets.

Misty pulled his jacket off, noting the lean form of his muscles resting under the fabric of the soaked shirt and swallowed a lump in her throat.

She couldn’t get his shirt off without aggravating the wound. What did the EMTs do in emergencies...cut it off?

She left him on the floor to gather a towel and the first aid kit from the bathroom, holding her palm against her head.

She gathered a pair of scissors from her desk and did her best to ignore the ringing in her ears as she slipped the blade underneath the collar of his shirt.

 _snip snip snip_ …

The fabric gave way to reveal a scaled chest, defined pectorals and abs as she approached the lower hem. She gulped as she brushed her fingertips over the softer, lighter scales, feeling the rippling muscles with a ghost of a touch.

He shifted and she pulled her fingers away like they were on fire, chiding herself. _Stop being a creep_!

She looked away instead and cut the sleeve near the wound and pulled the fabric away, granting her access to see the wound in full. She took to the kitchen for a bowl of water and a clean towel, and did her best to clean the dirt and blood away. By the time she deemed her work sufficient, the towel had been soaked a murky brown.

Upon closer inspection the wound didn’t seem as bad as all the blood had made it. Although the gash was longer than three inches, the incision didn’t pierce through the other side, at least, and if she had to gauge how deep it was, she’d imagine it wasn’t deeper than her first knuckle. Blood loss would have been a real concern for a human, but since he wasn’t _that_ …

She did her best to press the cotton pad against the wound while she wrapped the gauze around his shoulder to keep it in place. Once that was finished, she cleaned up the mess surrounding them and propped one of her pillows underneath his head.

The moment he was conscious and could move properly, she was kicking him out. This was too close for comfort. Way too close.

Her kettle started to whistle in small, weak shrills that gradually rose to full pitch.

She took the scraps of his shirt and dumped them into the trash before washing the blood off of her hands and poured the water into the prepped mug. Steam rose up to tickle her nose, filled with the lovely scent of chamomile, and she let out a small sigh for what seemed like the hundredth time today.

She glanced at the stranger before setting her sights on the laptop.

Well...that paper wasn’t going to start itself.

\---@v@---

An hour later, and she was double checking the references about acceptable items in the accounts receivable section when he finally moved. Jingles, who had settled into her lap during the process, gave a soft hiss towards their guest and darted back under the bed.

She frowned as she tipped the mug up for the last drops of her tea, and watched him shift slightly, groaning.

“Ugh, wha…?”

Misty said nothing, and instead put her cup down to type in the next sentence of her paper. Ugh, accounting papers were always so dry. There were only so many ways to say “Overhead is not considered a variable cost”.

“...Did _you_ do this?”

She glanced over to him with a bored look as he pointed to his bandages. “Yes. I’m not a nursing major, so if you have any complaints, go to a real doctor. Please.”

He bristled at her words as his tail thrashed against the tile.

“What kind of person are you? Jesus!”

Her mouth threatened to quirk upward at the ironic swear, and she hid it behind her empty mug.

“Are you expecting a thanks for this?” He continued, “Cause I’m not gonna— “

“Then don’t. I don’t care whether you thank me or not.”

“...What?”

“I think it’s in your best interest if you _don’t_ thank me, actually. I’d prefer it.”

There was a small silence, where the only noise in the apartment came from her fingers typing on the keyboard.

“You’re weird. Are you _sure_ you’re human?”

Misty scoffed.

“...Yeah, this is making more sense now. You aren’t, are you? No human would be looking at me like _this_ ,” he motioned down to his body, “Without freaking out. What are you? A skinwalker? Doppelganger? I got it— you’re one of those human-loving mermaids aren’t you?”

“Nope. Human. All human. I make sure to avoid beaches at all cost. Too many... _tropes_.”

He sat up while he clutched his wound, wincing. “Excuse me?”

“Tropes. Clichés. You know, _events_.”

“And...what, you hate storytelling?”

“No,” she countered, eyeing the gauze that began to stain pink, “It’s too easy for someone to start something with me. I don’t want to take any chances.”

“Nobody in their right mind would wanna start anything with you. Not with that attitude,” he countered.

“Good. That’s what I strive for.”

“Weirdo. I know some humans can be non-confrontational at times, but you’re just crazy.”

“Yeah, well, blame it on my condition. Believe me when I say I’d _relish_ the chance to go somewhere and have fun.”

He glowered. “Phhht, and what condition would that be? Resting bitch face?”

Misty shut her laptop, now frustratingly distracted from her task, and she frowned at him.

“ _No_. It’s Main Character Syndrome.”

“What?”

“Main Character Syndrome. It’s a disorder in which the natural discourses of the universe attempt to correct themselves by finding a catalyst for rapid change, namely sentient creatures. I inherited it from my mother.”

She received a blank stare from the demon, and she rubbed her temples with a sigh.

“I’m wanted by the universe to help change the world.”

“I’m not seeing the problem here.” He huffed and shifted around to sit cross-legged, his tail scraping against the tile of her floor. “Most people would be jumping for that kind of opportunity. Hell, _I’d_ be.”

She clenched her teeth at the thought. “Change doesn’t always mean for the better. Sure, I could solve a great wrong, but I could just as easily become food for a cosmic entity, or the queen of a rare kind of carnivorous slime colony, or a slave to vegetable pirates. Do you get what I’m saying?”

The demon snorted, which in turn caused him to flinch. "No."

“Stop moving so much. Your wound is gonna get worse.”

“You put me on the _floor_! I'm not exactly drowning in comfort here.”

“I heard the hospital has some nice mattresses. How about you go there instead?”

He growled and dragged his claws against the tile, and the action made a high-pitched screeching noise that grated her ears.

“Stop that.”

He didn’t. Jingles began to yowl from under the bed.

“I said, stop!” She bounded off of her futon and trapped his hands under her weight, scowling at his smirking face. She saw through him as plain as day. He had the scary claws and sharp horns and fangs and tough scales, but his labored breaths and clammy skin gave him away, even from a distance.

“I think you’re taking me a little too lightly. What do you take me for, a cosplayer?” he continued as he jerked his hands out from under hers, causing her to topple into his chest. He let out a small grunt as he pushed her back within arm’s reach.

This had ‘Adventure START’ written all over it.

“There’s no way I’m going to sit here and let you drag me into some weird demon harem, so why don’t you just go?” she hissed.

“Doesn’t matter if I go, you idiot,” he retorted. “If my coworker is serious, he's gonna find that trail of blood and come here anyway.”

She bit her lip as he glared daggers at her and pulled away to cradle his shoulder. Misty was four words away from shattering rule number two: _don’t ask, don’t tell_.

Swallowing the lump in her throat, she fought against her instinct and asked anyway. “...What do you mean?”

She braced herself for the universe’s next move. All it took was just _enough_ of a dialogue for a plot to begin, but she was riding on the hope that whatever terrible mission he was going to spew was side quest worthy at its worst.

“Well, you don't think demon blood just _washes_ away in the rain, did you?” He gruffed, pointing to the few spots she missed near the doorstep. “The magic trace is still there. Those guys’ll probably come back once they realize I’m not dead.”

Misty froze.

“You got nothing to say to that?”

Quite the contrary; Misty had _plenty_ of words. “What kind of _idiot_ would think to hide in a place where he can be immediately _tracked_?!”

His grin faltered as his body sagged.

“I uh, huh. Didn’t really think of it.”

“No, of course you didn’t, did you? God, because of this _stupid_ syndrome, nobody can make rational decisions around here!”

She threw her hands up in exasperation. There were going to be _more_. Great. Juuuust great.

“You ever think that it’s because of your charming personality?” he retorted.

Misty gave him a withering stare as she threaded her fingers in her hair, “What am I gonna do now?”

It was quiet for a few seconds before the demon spoke.

“Listen, you want to live a boring life doing taxes or whatever normal humans do. I don’t wanna be killed by my coworkers because I ruined their wedding day. Can’t we come to an agreement?”

“Like what?”

“Let me stay here long enough to heal up, and I’ll ward off any ‘occurrences’ and shit that pop up around you. I’ll be out of here in a week or two. It’s a win-win.”

She strongly doubted that.

“Or I can kick you out right now and slam the door on whoever you pissed off, just like I’ve been doing all my life.”

“You _could_ , but they could also track you down in the middle of the day and force you to pay off my debt in my stead.”

 _Son of a bitch_. All because she cleaned him up, and now she smelled like demon?!

“So you’re telling me that I’m stuck with you either way?”

“Yep. Might as well get something out of it, right?”

Misty swore under her breath and whirled around to bury her head into the futon and scream. She was doing so well! _Why_ did this have to happen right when she was at the cusp of graduating? Right when her most vulnerable days from the syndrome began to taper off and she could be _free_! And she gets stuck with this— this…

“If we’re gonna be rooming for a week, can I at least get your name? Mine’s Kobalt.”

She lifted her head and slowly turned back, defeated. “Misty.”

His eyes lit up in amusement despite the trail of blood dripping down his chest again.

“Good to meet ya.”

This was all because she broke rule number one. _Fuuuuck you, universe._

\---@v@---

The first day seemed eerily calm. With his injury still in terrible condition, Kobalt was forced to stay behind as Misty finished up her only class for the day with an unusual amount of...nothing. No freshmen running through the quad with toast in their mouths, no plush mascot animals coming from out of the bushes to greet her, no random books falling out of the library shelves and begging her to pick them off of the floor. It was nice and quiet and blissfully _uneventful._

Whatever he was doing in the background, whether it was some demon trick or that the Universe was finally content that she chose something, Misty was reveling in it. She experienced a normal day for once in her life.

Until she got home.

 _Jingles, you traitor,_ she thought as her eyes narrowed at the purring cat curled up against Kolbalt’s side. She hung up her jacket and immediately went to the kitchenette for tea.

He may have complained about sleeping on the floor, but as the evening wore on, he eventually succumbed to the flimsy sleeping bag that she had pulled out from under the futon. She may have been cold to him, but that didn’t mean she was heartless.

And it looked like he made himself comfortable anyway, with his tail hanging from the edge of her futon and half his body tangled in her comforter. His face was lax and his head was tilted slightly towards her, his lips slightly parted and sharp canines slightly peeking out. His light snores bounced off the walls and joined with Jingles’ purr to make an awkward tune.

He looked...kind of cute, maybe?

Misty slammed her mug down on the counter a little harder than she would have liked and dug out _two_ bags of chamomile this time. _Nope_. Rule number three: _do not pursue a romance until the age of thirty_. Falling in love with somebody would be because of _her_ choice, and not because the Universe decided for her.

The noise startled Jingles enough to stop purring, but Kolbalt’s snores continued. She dumped two spoonfuls of sugar into the cup and leaned her head against the cabinet, choosing to remain there until the tea kettle whistled.

Well...she still had a page and a half left; might as well try to finish it while she had relative quiet.

With her choice of beverage in hand, she tiptoed over towards the foot of the futon and made herself comfortable on the floor. At least she wouldn’t have to worry about Jingles spilling her tea this time.

It took longer than she would have liked to admit for the last page and a half of her paper, because every so often she would glance behind her shoulder to the injured demon on her bed.

\---@v@---

She was almost _concerned_ now.

Even though he seemed lively enough after their first meeting, it was clear that his condition kept deteriorating within the past few days. Her kitchen remained spotless save for her few bouts of cooking— nothing too fancy, she was never one to waste so many ingredients just for herself— but there was no indication that he had rummaged for food. She didn’t know if he _could_ eat human food.

Misty gently nudged one of the horns on the side of his head to wake him.

“Kolbalt,” she called.

His eyes fluttered open, still hazy, as he replied in a weak groan.

“...What?”

“When was the last time you ate?”

He looked at her with a strange expression shifted his head away, burying it into her pillow.

“Mmphht.”

That didn’t sit well with her, and she frowned at his display of indifference.

“I need to change your bandages. Get up.”

He made no motion to do so, as the only recognition to her command was a lazy sway of his tail.

She bit the inside of her cheek and took matters into her own hands. She slipped her hands underneath his torso and pulled, rolling him closer to the edge. He gave a painful groan.

“ ‘kay, I’m up.”

He swung his feet over the edge slowly, one at a time and sat up for her. His skin felt clammy underneath her fingers and she stared at the darkened blotches of bandages. The bleeding had slowed, but only enough for Misty to convince herself that he wouldn’t die...immediately.

“What do you want to eat?” Misty asked as she began to unravel the gauze. She’d have to go to the grocery store tomorrow to pick up more supplies.

“Pomegranate.”

She blinked. “... _Pomegranate_?”

“Fruit,” he mumbled. His eyelids slipped shut as he fell forward toward her chest, and Misty caught his horns in time to keep the situation from being any more awkward than it was.

She expected something more along the lines of raw meat or blood or something a little more eclectic like her soul, but maybe she just so happened upon a demon of unusual tastes? This posed a problem though, because she was pretty sure the only fruit she had was in those fig newtons she bought as a treat.

Yeah, a grocery trip was definitely in store for tomorrow, but they’d have to make do for today.

She gently pushed him back onto the bed again and went to retrieve the package from the shelf. The plastic tray crinkled in her hands as she read the package labeling, promising that the filling sandwiched between the soft cookie was made with 100% real figs.

From her studies in marketing, she quickly read between the lines: made with real figs, but also sugar and preservatives and a pinch or two of bug parts that slipped through the culling machine. She just hoped it was enough as she pulled back the film to reveal the square cookies lined in a row.

“I can get you something better tomorrow. Here.”

Misty took one and placed it in the palm of his hand. For a second she thought that maybe he had nodded off when he remained still, but his fingers twitched and curled around the cookie and he finally brought it to his lips and bit into it.

At first Kolbalt didn’t seem to have much of a reaction, but as the moment passed he decided to sit up on his own, now staring at the package in her hands. She offered it to him and he took one from the middle of the sleeve.

“Will these be okay for now?”

He nodded, stuffing the cookie into his mouth.

“Just make a list for me when you can, all right?”

Kolbalt was silent as he chewed on the cookie, watching her for a moment before shrugging.

Misty placed the cookies in front of him and grabbed her laptop before moving off of the bed.

He had better not get crumbs all over the mattress, or she’d kill him herself.

\---@v@---

The next morning was a stark contrast from before, as Kolbalt woke up before she did.

Her alarm sounded as the light passed between the gap of her blackout curtains and the wall, and her face scrunched up as it hit her face in just the right angle to be annoying. She could hear the sound of the shower running in the otherwise quiet space.

Her mattress sunk as Jingles leapt onto the bed, and he headbutted her face to begin their morning ritual.

“Jingles, ughh” she groaned as the cat headbutted her again with a mewl, “Okay, gimme a minute.”

Jingles promptly turned around and slapped her face with his tail, still purring. The jerk.

Misty sat up, rubbed her eyes, and huffed as she swung her legs over the futon.

“Fine,” she muttered to herself.

She staggered over to the cabinet and rummaged for a fresh can of food, Jingles happily trotting behind her with a series of meows and purrs. Misty pulled the tab of the lid backwards, and the smell of tuna, liver, and mineral spirits wafted into the air.

She sat the can down next to Jingles’ water dish and backed away as the cat lunged forth.

By the time she started the kettle and made her oatmeal, the sounds of the shower had stopped. Misty took a glance around the corner by reflex.

Out came Kolbalt with nothing but her beige towel wrapped around his waist.

“Oh hey,” he greeted her as if walking around naked in her apartment was just another day. “I don’t have any spare clothes. Got any?”

Misty barely registered the question as her eyes fell to his toned chest, and the ripples of his abs, and the way the scales on his skin trailed from soft plates to harder and thicker ones as they dipped down underneath the towel—

“Yo Misty, my eyes are up here.”

Misty felt the heat rise up on her cheeks as she pretended to cough. “Let me see.”

His eyebrow quirked upwards as his fist gripping the towel shifted, and Misty tore her eyes away from his form.

“— About the clothes!”

She made a beeline for her dresser. Somewhere in here was an old guy’s tee shirt that she picked up for pajamas and some joggers she bought for gym class, she just didn’t know which drawer— ah, there they were.

“Here.” She placed the clothes on the floor in a neat pile and slid them behind her, keeping her gaze on the knotted swirls of the dresser drawer. The claws on his toes tapped against the tile as he retrieved them.

There was the sound of fabric rustling, and she caught a glimpse of the towel falling to the floor in her peripheral vision. Her throat went dry. There was a pause, then a ripping sound, and then more rustling before nothing.

Misty was torn between turning around to chastise him about ruining her clothes, or forcing herself to bang her head against the dresser to get the image of him _out_. Instead she settled for clearing her throat and gripping the edge of the drawer as if it were her lifeline.

“What was that noise?”

“Tail,” he grunted simply. “I... _fuck_.”

The pain in his voice made her turn around despite her will, and she bit her lip as she saw Kolbalt grip onto his injured shoulder, the tee-shirt still taut around his forearms.

“Let me help,” she said, standing up. Of course it’d be hard for him to raise his arm at the moment, and it was better that she helped so that he wouldn’t aggravate his wound!

He stopped and stared at her as she pulled the shirt off of his arms to start over. Misty kept focus on her task to avoid looking back at him by accident. Her poor, frenzied heart probably couldn’t take it at the moment.

“...You’re not all that cold, are you?” He muttered as she threaded his injured arm through the sleeve hole. “I was starting to think your friends would call you Ice Queen instead of your name.”

Misty snorted. “That’s bold of you to assume.”

“Can you blame me? You left me on the street to die.”

She wasn’t talking about the nickname, not that she was complaining. She had a lot of friendly acquaintances and _maybe_ a casual friend or two. It was safer this way. Maybe a little lonely at times, but that was why she picked up Jingles and called her family on a weekly basis.

“To be fair, I thought you would be fine without me.”

“Why?”

The simple question caught her off-guard.

“Occurrences just usually...disappear? I thought that you’d be taken care of, I guess?”

But now that she said it aloud, even she had to admit that it was a cold-hearted and dangerous notion. Just because _she_ had certain perks due to her condition didn’t mean everyone else did.

“I’m...I apologize,” she breathed out as she pulled at the collar of the shirt to stretch over his horns. The fabric finally slipped past his head, and she met his eyes for a brief moment before she stepped away to let him do the rest.

After he was properly clothed, he stood there, gazing at her for a short— but still incredibly uncomfortable— moment, searching for something within her guilty expression.

“You really mean it?”

She blinked, taken back by the serious tone in his voice. “Yes? Why wouldn’t I mean it?”

He said nothing, but his eyes crinkled as his lips drew up into a smirk.

“Nothing, don’t worry about it.”

Well, she wasn’t worried until he _said_ that.

Her tea kettle began to whistle, and she broke off the strange conversation to continue with breakfast.

\---@v@---

Kolbalt seemed almost cheery as she had left the apartment, a stark contrast to their first conversation when they had met, but once she had left for the day, Misty couldn’t find it in herself to be wary about it.

This was the third day in a row where _nothing_ was happening to her. She was starting to get paranoid.

She didn’t have any digital monster come out of the desktop from the computer lab when she printed off her paper. The anime club president didn’t try to approach her today to become a special member after class. And the three bickering gnomes dressed in a trench coat in the grocery store minded their own business. If she wasn’t so cautious in the first place, she might have been tempted to see how far she could take this temporary truce between her and the universe.

Still, it was better not to look a gift horse in the mouth, especially when the worst threat was waiting for her at home.

“Kolbalt?” she called, looking around her empty apartment. She slipped her shoes off as Jingles went to rub up against her legs, and she deposited the grocery bags onto the kitchen counter.

Silence reigned, like it always had when she was by herself.

Shrugging, she sorted through the groceries and deposited them into their rightful places. The new packages of gauze and rolls were left on the counter for faster reach, as well as a bag of clothing for Kolbalt to wear. Perhaps he went for a walk? Unless his demon powers included hacking into her laptop, she could safely assume he got bored with the TV and went to find something else to do.

Maybe he left and he wouldn’t be coming back.

She made her usual cup of tea and cracked open one of the textbooks for information systems as she huddled against the pillows on her futon. Her eyes scanned the page as she read the introduction of the first chapter. And then she did it again. She swore she was reading it, but the words weren’t sinking in.

The apartment door rattled, and she stiffened up.

“Shit, is this one of those automatic locks??” Kolbalt’s muffled voice came from the other side.

She bounded over and unlocked the door, opening it to reveal Kolbalt against the frame.

“It is,” she answered as she let him inside.

“Oh.”

She closed the door behind him as he took a few steps further in and turned towards her.

“Hey, that’s the first time I think I’ve seen you smile.” he remarked, grinning. Her hands automatically covered her mouth as she turned away.

“I’m not!”

She was.

“You totally are.”

Damn it.

“There was a good sale at the store today,” she lied, pacing back over to the bed. “I found some clothes at the second hand shop, too. I _think_ they’ll fit.”

“You got me more clothes?”

“Only a few. Because I don’t want you running around naked in my house.”

He snorted. “Uh huh.”

“What did you go outside for?” she asked as she picked up her abandoned textbook, At least Intermediate Information Systems could cover her face of shame.

“I was checking to see if the trail was still intact. There’s still a little bit of my magic signature, but it should be gone in a few days.”

“Good.”

“Yep.”

The conversation died, and Misty failed _again_ to read this paragraph for the fourth time. This wasn’t rocket science, dammit!

The mattress sunk as Kolbalt sat on the edge, his tail bumping up against her calf.

“You know, you’re kinda cute when you smile. You should do it more often.”

Misty blanked on the next sentence as she started over again, clutching the book harder.

“I smile,” she countered with the grace of a four year old.

“Do you? Do you _really?_ ”

She shot him a glare as her cheeks reddened, and he looked back at her with a smirk.

“Maybe I’m not smiling because a demon is living in my apartment.”

“Nah, I don’t think that’s it.”

“What _do_ you think?”

“I think you don’t smile all that much because your life is boring.”

She snorted, lowering the book in her lap. “That’s the complete opposite of my entire life. _Boring?_ I have the average of five chances to go on some fantastic quest on a good day. I have a record of fifteen chances in a 24 hour period, and that was on my eighteenth birthday. You call that boring?”

“How many of them have you taken advantage of?”

Misty threw her hands up, exasperated. “None of them, obviously!”

“See? _Boring_.”

Her mouth snapped shut, and she curled up into herself, glaring daggers at him.

“I think you’re so caught up in getting into the wrong adventure,” he continued, oblivious, “That you don’t have a life outside of avoiding your whole syndrome thing.”

“That’s not true,” she hissed quietly.

“Yeah? What do you like to do on the weekends?”

“I…” she faltered as her mind drew a blank. Oh, come on, she had hobbies! They may not be adrenaline-filled death traps, but she found some fun things to do in her spare time!

“Needlepoint. And I do some knitting from time to time,” She blurted.

“What are you, a grandma?”

She kicked at his tail, which seemed to do nothing to phase him.

“It’s relaxing. And nobody bothers me.”

“That’s the point. You’re already acting like a crotchety old lady and you’re only, what? Twenty one?”

“Twenty-two,” She corrected, as if that made a huge difference. “And remember that his ‘crotchety old lady’ is allowing you to stay here for free.”

Kolbalt’s smirk fell into more of a frustrated frown as he scratched the back of his head. “Yeah, yeah.”

“What kind of things do you do that’s better than my hobbies, anyway?”

“I dunno, I live life! I go hiking, I listen to music, and I make woodburning art on the side!”

“You’ve just listed all the things my dad does.” She snapped, even though she always thought that woodburning was neat.

“Maybe you have a cool dad.”

“Maybe your hobbies aren’t any better than mine.”

“I didn’t say they were _better_. Do you have a thing against decorating your place, too? Why go to the hospital if I feel like I’m in one already!”

“It does _not_! For your information, these walls are _concrete_ and they don’t do very well with a hammer and nails!”

“Is that your only problem?” he asked, sounding surprised. “That you can’t get nails into your walls?”

“I’ve tried the adhesive strips too, but whatever the landlord used to paint over them doesn’t take well to the glue. It just falls right off,” she added, recalling how the strips peeled right off the moment she let go.

He looked bewildered, glancing to the wall beside them for a second before shrugging.

“You still have any nails left?”

Misty hesitated.

“Are you planning to destroy the building?”

His tail thrashed as he gave a small groan of annoyance. “I’m not Leviathan, you know.”

She scoffed as she put her book down. “Good. I would rather you _not_ be anyone of importance, thank you very much.”

He gave her another strange look before chuckling, his tail still thumping against the mattress, “Yeah, no worries there. So, nails? Yes or no?”

She shuffled over to the edge of the futon and reached underneath for a small toolbox.

“Here.” She unlatched the lid and procured the small package from the tidy compartments. His eyes lit up as he snatched it away from her fingers and ripped open the plastic.

“Where do you want one?”

Kolbalt grinned down at her with a nail pinched between his claws, and her brain finally registered what was about to happen.

Was she okay with this? Kolbalt hadn’t said a word about his powers, and suddenly she was okay with him about to put a hole in her wall?

_“Because your life is boring.”_

Her life wasn’t boring!

 _She_ wasn’t boring!

...And she really _did_ want to hang a few picture frames around the place.

“Right here.”

Misty climbed onto the futon again and pressed against the wall with her fingers reaching upward. She tapped the solid surface once, and turned to look at him.

Kolbalt nodded and cracked his knuckles. “Gotcha.”

\---@v@---

After planning and marking the walls, they took a break from inserting the nails so that Kolbalt could conserve his energy.

Kolbalt continued to munch on an apple as she reapplied his bandages. The wound had started to scab over with rough, black patches along the incision, and she grit her teeth in dissatisfaction. She knew that her clumsy attempts at patching up the wound wasn’t going to produce stellar results, but she only hoped that infection wasn’t going to set in because of it.

“It still hurts, right?” she asked, gently prodding against the edges of his injury with her fingertips. Kolbalt made a noise of complaint as he snatched her hand away.

“Yesh,” he said with a mouthful of apple.

“Sorry.”

She made no move to pull away her hand, and instead waited for him to release her.

“Are you sure you don’t want to go to a hospital anyway?”

He swallowed and wiped his mouth with the back of his hand.

“So what, you can kick me out faster?”

Misty held her tongue and instead opted to reach for the roll of gauze sitting beside them.

“I’m not a qualified doctor. You could be 24 hours away from dying and I wouldn’t know any better.”

He laughed before chomping down on the apple core, seeds and all.

“I’m made of tougher stuff than that.”

“Says the guy who almost bled out in the rain.”

“Hey, I’m a _fire_ demon. Of course I don’t do well in the rain.”

“What did you do, anyway?”

Kolbalt rubbed the back of his right horn with his fingers and looked down at the floor.

“I kinda...set my coworker’s wedding reception on fire.”

Misty gawked at him.

“...On _purpose?_ ”

“It was a stupid idea. I thought I’d prank him by throwing some firecrackers in the back of his pants and lighting them after the ceremony. His pants caught on fire, and the bride was right there beside him when her dress lit up, and one thing led to another…”

He shook his head and shrugged slightly. “Fire spreads. Anyway, the next day I was out jogging and he and his best man got me by surprise in the alley.”

“It’s no wonder he stabbed you.”

“To be fair, he shouldn’t have eaten my lunch so many damn times.”

Misty snorted as she wrapped the gauze around his shoulder for the last time. “I wouldn’t call that a fair exchange.”

“I do. He did it every single damn day we worked together. ‘Oh, sorry man, didn’t know it was yours.’ _Bullshit_ he didn’t know!”

He flexed his shoulder and winced, and she gathered up the supplies to put away for later.

“Fuckin’ assholes are always like that,” He muttered to himself, “‘Whoops Kol, didn’t see you.’ ‘Hey Kol, didn’t know you were here.’ So what if I’ve got a pretty common power?! I’m not fuckin’ _invisible_!”

She would have preferred that, but the thought would have been rude to say out loud. And considering the angry glare Kolbalt was giving the floor right now, Misty assumed the topic was a bit of a sore spot for him, and for some reason that didn’t sit right with her.

“What do you do?”

Kolbalt glanced up at her, confused.

“What?”

“For work. You mentioned he’s your coworker. What do you do?” She clarified.

“Oh.” He sat up fully and pointed at himself with his thumb, “I work at the hardware store downtown.”

She paused halfway into stuffing the bandages back into the cabinet. “Like a cashier?”

“Kinda. Most of it is moving the heavy stuff, sometimes it’s key grinding. I’m not good with money so they get the others to work the register.”

“I…” she gawked at the counter, trying to make sense of the new information, but her brain froze. “Not sending people to their doom or tricking people into selling their souls or anything?”

He looked at her as if she were crazy. “No! Why, you think all demons are out to get you?”

“It almost happened once, okay? I thought…” she trailed off. What _did_ she think, exactly?

Kolbalt butted in for her. “That’s kinda racist, don’tcha think? A lot of that is ‘ye olden day’ kind of stuff. Nowadays we’re just trying to get by. You know, things are a lot more peaceful when the human race isn’t trying to slaughter you. The ‘look like a human’ law sucks, but if all we gotta do is wait for some old fogeys to die, then…”

“No, I knew that— there are a lot of stories— I didn’t—”

“I mean, yeah, we’re stronger than the average human, and we got a lot of great powers and stuff, but really? One guy goes a little crazy on you and suddenly we’re all bad?”

Oh no, this was really, really bad. She couldn’t be...! Oh god!

Her cheeks flushed with embarrassment as she stumbled for the right words. “I am _so_ sorry. I don’t think you’re that way, I just have a lot of—“

“I’m kidding!” he laughed, “Something to do with your condition, right? I figured.”

He stood from the futon with a grin still on his face and closed the gap between them with a few strides, her vision now focused on his chest as he leaned dangerously close.

“You’re cute when you’re flustered,” he said with a hint of amusement. Her eyes focused on the color of his irises as she met his gaze: amber with flecks of gold, and his long, dark lashes framed them so well. She wondered how he’d look when he was carrying lumber across the store, beads of sweat trailing down his forehead and neck, his toned biceps flexing as he carried the stacks against his shoulders, concentrating on his work with those smoldering eyes.

Her thoughts were interrupted when he broke his gaze and tossed the apple into the trash behind her with his good arm, still grinning like the personal space violating idiot he was.

Misty bit her tongue and looked away.

\---@v@---

It was night time. Kolbalt lied on his stomach on her futon and watched _Cops_ on the tv, and she was curled up against her pillows, working on stitching in the wings of her hummingbird embroidery project. Jingles was lapping up water in the kitchen. Something about the low sounds combined with Kolbalt’s tail curled around her ankle made Misty feel like she was at home.

Kolbalt shifted, and soon he was looming over her work.

“Hey, that’s pretty good.”

She smiled and turned the hoop around to show him properly. “I’ve had a lot of practice.”

He studied the picture with a discerning eye, briefly touching the surface with his fingertips.

“Whoa,” he muttered, “This is all just a bunch of tiny stitches?”

“Yeah. There’s different techniques to it, but for the most part it’s just a few stitches used in different ways.”

The demon made a small noise of acknowledgment and handed it back.

“It’s beautiful.”

“Thanks.”

A car salesman commercial filled the silence between them before Kolbalt started again.

“I’m sorry for what I said, about you having a boring life. I don’t have any room to talk.”

She looked up at him, surprised. “It’s okay. In a way you were right. I don’t do a lot of things a normal person does.”

“I think you’re amazing, Misty.” he replied, shaking his head. “You’re just dealing with what you have with the best way you know how, and you’re reaching your goals while doing it. It’s really cool.”

Misty hugged her work to her chest, flushing at the earnest tone of Kolbalt’s voice. “Thank you. And for the record, I always liked woodburning, too.”

She didn’t miss the way Kolbalt’s cheeks dusted pink as he smiled back.

\---@v@---

If he was only physically attractive, it would have made things a lot easier on her. Misty would have ignored the way her skin tingled as she brushed up against his scales by accident. She’d be able to shrug it off when he just so happened to look at her at the same time she was looking at him. She’d be able to keep her thoughts (and eyes) from straying a _little_ too far when he came out of the shower every day.

Misty blamed it on not having a relationship, _ever_.

But no, it wasn’t that easy. There were little things that she found endearing. Like how her floors stayed clean even after several days of neglecting to sweep or how her tea kettle was already warmed when she came home. How he asked about her life and seemed to be sincerely interested when she talked about it. How, even though he liked to be physically closer to her than necessary, he never tried to touch her without permission.

His honesty was what made her most attracted to him, even though he had the eloquence of a drowning hyena.

“Guess what I found under your bed today,” Kolbalt blurted as soon as she opened the door. Her weathered suitcase was splayed out before him on the floor. The demon sat with his arms crossed with a smug look on his face and his tail thrashing against the tile.

Her collection of fantasy novels sat in neat piles inside of it, exposed.

“No wonder you got all those crazy ideas in your head.”

Misty slammed the door shut as she practically leapt for the suitcase.

“It’s for research!” she cried. “A lot of them are from an author who has MCS like I do and—“

“ _A TallTale Heartache,”_ He began to recite as he grabbed one of the paperbacks, _“Help, I’ve Been Reincarnated into a Cactus! The Saucy Secret Mansion on Raven Crest Hill._ Oh yeah, _great_ research material.”

Misty shoved the suitcase behind her as she reached for the current book in his hand— _My Life as a Main Character Maid,_ she recognized it from the pastel colors of the cover hidden behind his claws— and dove against him to grab it. He wrapped an arm around her waist as he pulled her down and raised the book at the same time, effectively trapping her from it.

“Whoa there,” he remarked, clearly enjoying her torment. Her cheeks burned as she pushed against his grip in an attempt to break free, reaching up against his arm for her book.

“It is! I don’t read it for _fun!”_

“Sure you don’t! Who would ever read this stuff for fun?” He laughed against her hair. She pushed against his chest and he toppled to the floor with her straddling his waist as she tried to reach again. He kept a firm grip around her, his claws digging into her sides a little as she struggled to gain enough leeway. Her fingertips brushed the spine as she let out a strangled huff. Dammit, she was so close!

Kolbalt laughed, his abdomen contracting between her thighs, and she suddenly realized what kind of position they were in.

Misty paused, pressing her palms against the cool tile by both sides of his head. Her breaths came out in pants from their short scuffle and her heartbeat pounded against her chest.

“What? Giving up?” He chuckled. Either he was playing dumb or he was a genuine idiot. Misty couldn’t tell at this point.

But if he wasn’t going to acknowledge their situation, then Misty didn’t have to address it either. Which meant that straddling the tall, dark, lizard demon in her apartment was a-okay.

“Please give me my book back,” she whimpered softly.

“Aww come on, where’d all that spirit go? You’re gonna have to work for it if you want it back!”

She made a half-hearted reach, shifting her weight ever so slightly, as she leaned in closer towards his outstretched arm. Kolbalt made a small grunting noise as she balanced against him.

“Please?” she murmured closer to his ear.

“Nope!” he replied with a cheerful, stupidly oblivious lilt.

Misty paused to look at him, and for a moment the thought occurred that maybe, just maybe, she liked him because he wasn’t looking at her like a tool to be used for an adventure. He was looking at her as a _person_. Only her family had looked at her that way, and it was strange to think that someone she had barely known for a week could also do so.

Another second passed, and there was a subtle shift in his expression, where his eyes softened and his grip laxed around her waist, and he was looking at _her_ with this welcoming, curious smile that made her chest blossom with warmth.

The sensation had hit her like a ton of bricks; being with Kolbalt made her feel _happy_.

She didn’t have the self control that she was normally so prideful about, as she lowered herself against him and brought her arms around his neck in a careful hug.

“Hey, are you okay?” he asked as he brought his arms around her back, just enough to return the hug but loose enough for her to break free at any moment. The book lay abandoned above their heads.

“Yes,” she said, even though tears pricked at the corner of her eyes and her nose became stuffy. Her mouth curved into a smile as relief washed over her. He was warm and smelled like soap and it felt so, so nice to be hugged.

“Uhhh...are you sure? Look, I know those books are pretty trashy but it’s nothing to be ashamed about. A ton of people buy ‘em, right? I mean, look at all the porn that sells—”

It would be nicer without his mouth running.

She tightened her grip around him as she buried her face against his neck, sighing. “Shut up for a moment.“

He hugged her a bit closer. “Yep, okay.”

She had to bite back a laugh and shook her head instead.

\---@v@---

Today was Saturday. Her paper was turned in, her classes were finished for the week, and she was free to do whatever she wanted.

Kolbalt’s wound was now a large nasty scab that _wasn’t_ life threatening. Apparently demons healed quickly.

He was still having trouble lifting his arm, though, and she imagined that he wouldn’t be able to go back to work to do heavy lifting for a while. But that brought up an important question that didn’t occur to her until just then.

“Kolbalt,” she started, looking over to the demon with the second volume of _A Harpy Harem at my Household?!_ secured in his hands. He thumbed the page as he looked up at her, curious.

“Did you tell your boss that you got hurt?”

The color drained from his face.

“ _Shit_.”

Misty took that as a “no”.

“Shit. Shit. SHIT, I was supposed to work this weekend, too! How did I forget to call in?!”

Misty frowned as she watched him toss the book to the side and began to pace back and forth, combing his hair with his fingers, frantic.

“I forgot my phone back at my place that day, and I wasn’t thinking about it because, you know, I got STABBED. Fuck. I wasn’t on schedule all week but I _know_ I missed a few shifts, and he’s gonna fire me, I know it! Aghh, he’s gonna be so pissed! DAMN IT!”

Misty bit her lip as she watched him, feeling particularly nervous at the steam that began to rise from his scales. It must have been a stress-related condition if she had to guess, since she had never seen him this freaked out before, maybe with the exception of their first meeting.

So she slipped on her pair of kitchen mitts before blocking his path and grabbed his hands into her own. Even the thick padding wasn’t enough to block out the warmth, and the intensity reminded her of picking up a freshly brewed mug of tea.

He looked down at their hands, confused, and soon a halfhearted smile reached his lips. He gave out a chuckle and squeezed the mitts lightly.

“This looks so stupid. Don’t want me burning your place down, right?”

“Well, yes,” she confessed, frowning. “I would appreciate that. But I also don’t think you deserve to lose your job. Unless you are a total slacker, in which case your boss has every right to fire you.”

“What am I gonna doooo?” he groaned.

“You don’t know if you’ve lost your job yet. Why don’t we go down to the store and I can vouch for you?”

His tail stopped swaying, his eyes widened, and his grip on her tightened. “Really? You’d do that?!”

“Yeah.”

The corners of her lips threatened to rise up as he grinned ear to ear, shaking her hands as he did so. “This is great! Yeah! Let’s— “

He paused as he loosened his grip on the mitts and gazed at her with hesitation. His voice lowered a decibel as he spoke.

“Wait. Do you really? When my coworker could be there?”

Misty bit her lip as she mulled it over. He had a strong point; it would be like walking into a trap lovingly handcrafted by the universe itself, and things had been so quiet lately…

“I can do it.” she said finally. Because if this was the ultimatum that she would die on, then dammit she would do it her way.

Kolbalt’s face lit up in a way that it melted her heart. “Let’s go right now! Come on!”

Kolbalt started pulling her towards the door and the mitts slid off in an instant, causing her to fall on her ass. His eyes darted to the mitts in his hands and back to her with a nervous smile.

“Whoops?”

She let out a huff as she rubbed her backside. “How about we change first?”

His tail swayed as he looked down at his sweatpants and toe claws, and Kolbalt waved the mitts in his hands in an awkward acknowledgement.

“Sounds good.”

With that settled, Misty straightened up her blouse and went to put on her shoes while Kolbalt darted to the bathroom to change. When he exited his tail and claws had disappeared, and his horns became the barely distinguishable lumps she saw when she first met him. He traded his sweatpants for a pair of jeans.

“Ready?” She asked.

“Yep.”

She grabbed her satchel and keys. “Let’s go.”

Kolbalt held the door for her as they left, and Misty took a deep breath in as she locked the door.

_Please let today be normal. Please, please…_

“Hello! Are you Misty?” A high-pitched voice rang out as she _just_ pulled her key from the lock. She sucked in a breath and turned around.

And saw no one in her immediate sight. She looked to Kolbalt (who had an equally perplexed look on his face), and he pointed downwards.

A translucent blue slime sat on the concrete, looking up at her with two coal-black orbs.

“You have the wrong apartment,” Misty replied flatly. “Try over near Ridgewood.”

Whoever lived in 104 Ridgewood probably hated her guts.

The slime shifted one eye up, making a confused expression before jiggling it’s amorphous body. “I was _sure_ this was the right place. You aren’t Misty? Please, this is very important to the livelihood of our colony—”

“You heard the lady. Scram,” Kolbalt scowled as he took her wrist and pulled her away from the door. Misty took it a step farther and grappled his wrist instead, nudging him to continue onward. The slim bristled as it turned towards them but made no move to follow.

“If you see her around please tell her I’m looking for her!”

“Okay, yeah.” Misty muttered under her breath. Whelp, so much for that.

They began to cross over the parking lot, Misty still holding on to Kolbalt’s hand, as the demon gave her a side glance.

“Sooo...that happened. That kind of thing is normal to you, huh?”

She nodded curtly, biting her tongue as she glared straight ahead.

“I expected as much,” she hissed quietly. “Things can only go so well for so long.”

“What now?”

“It’s been too quiet. Nothing has happened since you got here. I thought you did something to make it stop, but not today I guess.”

He shook his head. “Nope, haven’t done a thing. I can’t really do much if I’m not with you 24/7.”

Then what other reason was there? Did the universe give her a break just because? And did this mean that Kolbalt and her weren’t considered the start of anything?

And if meeting each other _wasn’t_ going to trigger a life (or possibly, _world_ ) changing event…

Misty glanced down at her fingers still wrapped around his wrist, on the cusp of a realization. If her feelings weren’t some byproduct of her syndrome—

“Hey, Misty!”

Her eyes darted away to a particularly _annoying_ classmate, who she often went out of lengths to keep away. He all but blocked their path, stuffing his huge hands into his letterman jacket, and he towered over her with a smile.

“Hello, Gabriel,” she gritted through her teeth, “Sorry I can’t talk, _we_ have to be somewhere right now.”

She started to pull at Kolbalt’s wrist to sidestep him, but Miles stepped with her.

“Where you going? I can walk you there! Keep you company!”

Was he serious? “No thanks. I already have someone.”

She motioned to Kolbalt, who looked at Miles like the man was a mosquito that he was ready to squash. “Hey man. I’m Kolbalt. We’re kinda in a hurry here—“

“Hey, I didn’t see you there. Are we blocking the sidewalk?”

Gabriel attempted to corral her closer to the building side, supposedly to get out of Kolbalt’s way, but she backed up before he could touch her.

Misty openly glared at him. “He’s _with me_ , Gabriel.”

What the hell? She knew the guy could be oblivious, but this was just...just rude!

“Anyway, can I borrow your notes since I missed a few days? You look delici- _delightful_ by the way,” he asked casually, as if he didn’t just ignore the demon who was _still holding her hand_.

“No. Bye.”

She pulled Kolbalt’s wrist as a signal to start walking, and the demon responded by brushing past her classmate to wedge between them as a makeshift barrier. Kolbalt’s eyes narrowed at the football player as they passed.

“H-hey! Is it because you don’t have them on you? Can I just stop by your place later?!”

“No!” she hollered behind them, already a few good paces away.

They turned the corner, now at the edge of the campus and the bowling alley, and Misty put her hand over her thudding heart.

“Was that another one?”

She nodded.

“He didn’t look out of the ordinary,” Kolbalt mentioned as he pulled her fingers away, only to hesitate for a second before holding her hand properly. “Are you sure he wasn’t just trying to be friendly?”

“He once told me I would be a 'fine treat'. I wouldn’t want to be near him even if it wasn't an encounter.”

“Yeah, okay. That’s fair.”

“What was with him anyway? You were _right_ there!”

Kolbalt shrugged, quiet for a millisecond. “Some people are just assholes.”

“Even assholes have to acknowledge that you exist,” she retorted.

He had nothing to say to that besides squeezing her hand for a brief moment, and they walked down the block until they reached a crosswalk.

Misty looked in all directions for any signs of life as she pressed the signal button, and waited.

“There’s nobody here. You’re just gonna wait for the light?”

Kolbalt pulled away before she could warn him. A truck came rushing from the side and drifted around the corner, just as he took the first two steps onto the pavement. Misty bounded over as soon as she heard the engine and managed to grab his arm. She jerked him back with all her might, sending the two of them collapsing back onto the sidewalk as two police cars came around in the same fashion to chase after the vehicle.

“Are you okay?” she asked him as he groaned. “Sorry, I pulled on your bad side, didn’t I?”

“What the actual fuck?” Kolbalt muttered. “There wasn’t anyone behind us. Where did they come from?”

Misty held her tongue. She gave up trying to figure that out a long time ago.

“This is unusual.” she said as they got to their feet. “Normally they are spread throughout the day. We’ve been out for about ten minutes now? That's a record pace.”

“I guess we’re making good on that deal, huh? I was starting to think I wouldn’t have to do _anything_.”

“I’m sorry.”

He looked at her in surprise. “Why?”

“It causes a lot of problems, and it takes a lot of work.”

“I’m starting to see that.”

“It gets in the way when I’m trying to do something important.” she shook her head. “If I had stayed home while you went and just called, this wouldn’t happen. I just thought that your boss would be more lenient if I talked to him in person, but that’s even if we can _get_ to your boss.”

“Misty.”

She looked up at him with her jaw clenched, as his hands clapped over her shoulders. His grin was as warm and inviting as ever.

“My job is that important to you?”

“Yes?” Her head tilted ever so slightly. Wasn’t that obvious?

“Why?”

“Because a job is an important thing to have?”

Kolbalt shifted his weight and laughed. “That’s not what I thought I would hear. You’re still weird.”

She looked away, blushing. “The light changed. Let’s go.”

\---@v@---

They made it to the hardware store in one piece, not that the universe stopped trying to keep them away.

Even though the weather started with a warm, sunny day, somehow a torrential downpour came howling through the town and flooded the streets. It was there on the corner of First and Third that a fleet of miniature pirate ships sailed in the drainage alongside them. They spent another seven minutes fending off tiny radishes who were determined to take her as their prisoner until Kolbalt nearly roasted one in his hands.

“YOU WILL BE OURS!” Yelled the radish captain as Misty plucked him and his crew members off of Kolbalt’s clothes and tossed them into the sewer grate. Their screams echoed as the current carried them further underground.

“Were they trying to kill you?” she mumbled as he pulled a tiny skewer from his jeans.

“I must be expendable,” he joked. She slapped his arm lightly, and he shrugged at her, still smiling as he pushed open the glass door in front of them. A burst of cold air pushed against her and made her shiver, and she hugged herself as she went inside. Kolbalt followed suit, his sneakers squelching against the floor behind her.

At least it looked like a normal store. The racks and walls sat full of various tools and parts that Misty recognized on a basic level, and the few workers that manned the aisles all appeared to be human at first glance. Kolbalt took the lead and motioned towards the back.

“Normally I wouldn’t be mentioning this,” He loudly whispered, “But considering your condition, you should know we’re all demons here. In case something goes weird.”

Ahh, yes. She knew it wasn’t going to be that easy.

They passed by the leaf blowers on the back wall and through the double doors of the stock room, where an older gentleman stood with a hefty stack of papers and a clipboard in his hands.

“Boss!” Kolbalt called, motioning Misty to stop near the door. The man still hadn’t looked up from his paperwork as Kolbalt approached.

What was _with_ people today? With the way everyone treated Kolbalt, he could have gone out in full demon form, stark naked, and nobody would bat an eye. _Just acknowledge him already!_

“Hey, boss. Listen, I’m sorry— “

“ — Kolbalt, good on you for coming in early. I’m surprised you’re still alive with that stunt you pulled at Gaape’s wedding.”

“Not for a lack of trying,” he muttered. His boss finally looked at Kolbalt as he tipped his helmet back, and Misty caught sight of the thick protrusions on his head.

“Son, you gotta be careful. If I didn’t know any better I’d say that you’re avoiding him, and it’s hurting your performance this week. It’s like I haven’t even seen you!”

Kolbalt’s face shifted to annoyance as he fell silent, and Misty held her tongue. This was not just unusual, this was _wrong_. How could he _not_ notice an employee being absent for a week? Kolbalt’s strange situation was unlike anything she had ever seen before, almost _opposite_ of what her syndrome did to her—

“ — That’s why I gotta talk to you. See, I shouldn’t have kept it secret, but…”

Kolbalt pulled up his shirt enough to reveal the wound, his face masking the discomfort of his position. “I’ve been dealing with this all week and it’s been hurting real bad. I came to ask if I could get a couple days off.”

Was he lying? What was happening here?!

“Where did you get this?! Was it in the store?”

“One of the picket fences broke off and found its way in me, yeah.”

His boss gaped at the wound. “Why didn’t you say anything?!”

“...I _did_.”

 _No_ , Misty thought, _he most certainly didn’t._ That was the whole reason why they were in this mess. His boss couldn’t possibly believe that!

And yet…

The older man’s face paled considerably as the clipboard creaked under the pressure of his hands.

“No son, that can’t be right...I didn’t— who did you tell? Are you sure it was me? Did you tell one of the boys instead?”

“Boss, I was right here in the stock room, remember? You told me to get the fencing ready for that nice couple that came in.”

The clipboard broke in half and the man gave Kolbalt a look of horror. “That complex of yours really has it out for you. I swear I was keeping track that day.”

Misty’s brain reeled at his words. _What complex?_

“It had to happen some time. I just didn’t wanna bother you.”

“Well, “ his boss gruffed, “You come with me back to the office and we’ll make sure I got you down for sick leave, all right? I’m not slipping up again.”

“Thanks boss, you’re the best!”

“Yeah, don’t say that yet. Does your mom know?”

“Hadn’t told a soul,” Kolbalt said as they walked off further into the stockroom and out of Misty’s sight.

Nothing about this made sense to her. And when that happened, she relied on her most trusted source to clue her in: the internet.

She pulled out her phone and went straight to the browser.

_Complex symptoms. feeling invisible. small social connections._

The search engine came up with several pages of results, though most of them came up as common disorders that Misty knew was not what she was searching for. A lot of times her MCS came up this way too. She tried something else.

_Disorders similar to Main Character Syndrome. opposite._

Now she was getting somewhere.

 _It’s Not You, It’s Everybody Else: 5 Rare Disorders that Come from the Outside_ was the first result with a mention of MCS within the summary. She tapped the link and scanned the page for clues.

**“Magical Girl Madness (Shoujo Savior Syndrome)”.**

Nope. The idea of Kolbalt running around in a frilly outfit with a loveable mascot was entertaining, but not what she had in mind.

**“Underscore Disease (Personal Leitmotif Disorder)”.**

She met a person with this disorder once in the doctor’s office; Misty had thought that maybe it was her MCS rearing up that made the upbeat tune play, but the person quickly explained that no, it was indeed them, and no, they could not stop it. The cheery tune stuck in Misty’s head for days.

**“Mech Magnetism (Mobile Suit Magnetism Disorder, or MSMD)”.**

Now that was a new one.

“A disorder in which advanced mechanical suits come at random to a person afflicted with MSMD. The location of the person does not matter. Mechs (or mobile suits) will crash land approximately seven yards away at any moment, and often cannot be removed until said person pilots the machine. MSMD sufferers often have a talent for electrical and mechanical engineering, but it is often reported that the knowledge comes from ‘nowhere’.”

Huh. But still, this was far from what Kolbalt had. She scrolled passed the symptoms to the next header.

**“Blue Hair Syndrome (Main Character Syndrome, or MCS)”.**

There was her MCS in all its glory. She knew the details of MCS like she knew the alphabet, including the odd trait of her deep blue hair; she bleached and dyed it often to keep a low profile. Moving on.

**“Soldier A Syndrome (Side Character Complex)”.**

That caught her attention.

“Side Character Complex, more commonly known as Soldier A Shock, is a rare series of symptoms that recurs in a person from birth. While similar to Main Character Syndrome in that interactions with others are skewed, individuals suffering from Side Character Complex experience the opposite “reaction”. For example, while a board of recruiters may exclusively target an MCS individual in a group setting, an individual with SCC would be equally ignored.

While difficult to diagnose, talk to your doctor if you have several of the following symptoms:

  * Feelings of being ignored, forgotten or “invisible”
  * Overabundance of workload following a major event
  * Three or more individuals seeking relationship advice from you within a 24 hour time period
  * Having simple or “basic” taste in clothing, accessories, decor, etc.
  * Increased risk of injury
  * A plain, or “forgettable” face



…

Kolbalt wasn’t drop dead gorgeous, but at least she could say that his face wasn’t “forgettable” .

As she pondered the notion Kolbalt and his boss reappeared, chatting lightly among themselves as they came closer. His smile widened as he saw her and soon he was by her side, looking rather pleased.

“We’re all set,” he said, taking her hand. “Let’s get out of here while we still can. He called in Gaape for my shifts and I don’t want anything happening to you.”

Misty’s heart skipped a beat and she opened her mouth. “Kolbalt, I— “

“Kol, who is this?”

Kolbalt turned back to his boss, who was now looking at her expectantly.

“This is Misty. She’s, uhh…” he paused, letting her hand fall to the side, and glanced back at her.

“I’ve been patching him up at night.” Misty finished for him. “Nice to meet you.”

This boss smiled at her and offered out his hand for a handshake. “That so? Thanks for taking care of my nephew. Hope he didn’t give you any trouble.”

She waved her hand dismissively and gave Kolbalt a look. “It’s nothing.”

“Say Missy,” He said, adjusting his helmet, “I don’t do this often, but I get a good feeling from you and we’re shorthanded around here— “

“ —She’s not, uh, _one of us_ , boss. Don’t you only hire friends and family?”

He huffed. “I can make an exception! Obviously she’s got _some_ kind of skill if she can handle you!”

“No thank you.” she replied. “I have a full ride scholarship with very restrictive terms, but thank you anyway.”

He looked as if he was going to say something else, but Kolbalt blocked him off by gently guiding her back towards the doors. “See you later, boss! I promise I won’t tell Mom a thing!”

And with that, the two of them fled from the hardware store.

\---@v@---

“I didn’t think it’d go that smoothly,” Kolbalt said as they slowed their pace halfway into the walk home. “Thanks for coming with me anyway. I’ll try to call next time.”

Misty was quiet, half because she was trying to get her lungs to stop burning from the exertion, half because she didn’t know how to bring up the conversation from earlier.

“No problem,” she wheezed eventually. Kolbalt slowed to a halt with an amused look on his face, his fangs peeking out slightly as he patted her back.

“Not much of a runner, are you? I thought you’d do nothing _but_ run with all the stuff that happens to you.”

“Too careless,” she huffed, leaning on her knees for support. “I bump into people. Start shit.”

“Oh yeah?”

She nodded simply.

There was a small bout of silence, and then Kolbat knelt down with his back facing her. He looked over his shoulder towards Misty, and she held her breath.

Was he…?

“I’ll carry you. Hop on.”

There was a moment where Misty’s brain and Misty’s heart had a standoff, locking her body into a stalemate and kept her frozen in place. Eventually they worked into a weird truce where logic and concern melded into a coherent sentence.

“Won’t that hurt your shoulder?”

A flicker of hesitance appeared in his eyes as he looked away. And then he shrugged.

“I think I can do it, as long as you don’t weigh a million pounds.”

She shoved his back lightly and he laughed. “I’m joking. You want a ride or not?”

...She did.

Misty wrapped her arms around his shoulders and neck, taking care to avoid the sore spot as best she could. His arms trapped her legs and anchored them around his waist, and with a grunt he managed to stand up.

“You okay?” He asked. She shifted closer to get a better hold.

“Yeah. You?”

“Yep! Watch somebody try to mess with you now!”

“Don’t jinx us.”

He started down the road again as Misty sagged against his back, allowing herself to enjoy the contact. Even with the rain the pirate radishes and the running they did, he still smelled like soap.

It was quiet for a moment before she gained the courage to ask.

“Kolbalt, do you have Side Character Complex?”

His arms tightened around her thighs, and he breathed out a sigh.

“Yeah, so I’m told.”

Misty squeezed him tighter. “Does it make your life hard?”

“Sometimes, yeah. When I’m trying to get something answered or when I need to depend on people it can get kind of rough. I gotta take a lot of precautions, like leave a bunch of notes for somebody or being aware of my surroundings. Or if I go to the hospital, I have to be accompanied by someone who knows my situation or else the doctors could forget about me. But it’s not all bad. I mean, I’m still getting paid this week even though I didn’t show up!”

He chuckled lightly to himself before continuing.

“I’m kinda surprised you noticed me in the rain, to be honest. People pass right by me, you know? I really thought I was gonna die in that alley.”

Misty snorted. “I would have left you there, too.”

“Yeah, but I thought to myself ‘What the hell?! What kind of person would notice _me,_ of all people, and then walk away out of spite?’ Like, it’d be one thing if you just didn’t care, but you looked _pissed_ about it.”

She buried her head against his shoulder. “I _was_.”

“I understand why now, but at the time I thought, ‘this chick ain’t normal. What the hell am I doing dying here when she just did that’. So I followed you back out of spite.”

“Out of _spite?_ ”

“Also for help, but yeah, mostly spite,” he explained. “Either you patch me up or I get revenge by dying in your living room. It’s a win-win situation, see? But you still helped me despite the odds, and I probably wouldn’t be here right now if I let this Side Character bullshit get me down. Maybe I gotta work harder at it, but I’m not gonna let it rule my life.”

His words pierced her heart in such a way that she had a hard time understanding _what_ she felt.

Admiration was one feeling; that was quite clear. He lived in a way she was too afraid to try, and she never felt more attracted to a person than she did right then.

She also felt very _attacked_.

Misty had to settle for squeezing her thighs against his waist, making him halt and let out a strangled yelp.

“Hey! I’m just saying!”

She stopped, and Kolbalt resumed walking.

“I’m glad I saw you,” she mumbled. “And I’m glad you followed me.”

Kolbalt made a small noise of appreciation as his cheeks flushed red. “Y-yeah. I am too.”

They continued in silence, and it wasn’t until they reached the intersection near the bowling alley that Kolbalt broke it again.

“Hey Misty,” he started quietly, “I know we’ve only known each other about a week, but—”

“KOLBALT, WHAT THE HELL, MAN!”

He stiffened underneath her as the two of them were blocked by a blonde guy a head taller than Kolbalt. Misty clambered off of him, and Kolbat put his arms out to block her from the man’s sight.

“Heeey, Gaape,” he replied warily. “Fancy seeing you here.”

“What the fuck, dude? I had a _great_ week without you until the boss called me,” he seethed, stepping forward.

Kolbalt pushed her back gently as he stood his ground. Misty’s voice caught in her throat as goosebumps rose on her skin.

“You could use the money, right?”

“No thanks to you, motherfucker! That venue cost us six grand alone, and Lil still has burns on her legs. You should’ve stayed in the alley where I left you!”

Dread thudded against her chest like a weight.

“I said I was sorry about that. Listen, I can help pay you back— “

“You’re not gonna pull another one on me, Kol. I’m gonna finish what I started.”

“Kolbalt,” Misty pleaded, reaching for his shirt. “Let’s just go. We can turn around and go another way.”

Gaape had finally noticed her presence, and he leaned sideways to take a look at her.

“This your girlfriend?”

Kolbalt stepped in front of him, this time pushing forward into Gaape’s personal space.

“Leave her out of this. This is _our_ business.”

She shivered at the hint of threat in his voice while Gaape sneered at him before pushing him backwards.

“She just became a part of it. Let’s see how you do when _she’s_ the one getting stabbed— “

Kolbalt punched him in the jaw.

“ _Fuck off_.”

Misty gasped in horror as Gaape recovered from the blow with a look that could kill, his skin singed from contact of Kolbalt’s blazing knuckles. His disguise as a human fell; the protrusions from his head jutted out into long, black steer horns to match the darkened sclera of his eyes. A growl ripped from Kolbalt’s throat, deeper than she thought was possible as he advanced.

Gaape’s knuckles grew long, jagged claws as he retaliated with a punch to the torso, and Kolbalt dodged, his own demon features resurfacing. He butted into Gaape’s chest, and the pair fell to the concrete with a thud.

“Stop it!” Misty cried as she rushed to do _something_ , god, what could she do?! She needed to get Kolbalt away!

Gaape’s claws dragged against the top of Kolbalt’s shoulder, slicing open the tee and skin underneath. Her friend cried out as blood surfaced, and the sight of it made something in Misty’s brain _snap._

 _Increased risk of injury_ , her brain recollected at the most strange of times.

_“I must be expendable,” Kolbalt joked._

Kolbalt’s smile.

Kolbalt’s laugh.

_I’m glad I saw you._

…

Rule number Four: If all else fails, _go out with dignity_.

**Fuck that rule.**

Misty felt a surge of adrenaline so strong that the hairs on her skin stood on end, and with the strength of a titan she shoved Kolbalt off of Gaape. She took his place instead, straddling Gaape’s chest as she took him by the horns and slammed his head against the sidewalk. Gaape groaned in pain, stunning him long enough for Misty to lean close to his face.

“ **I said _stop_.**” She stared straight into his eyes with the intensity of a madman. “ **Do you know what I had to go through this week? A lot of uncomfortable emotional things. I’m not in the mood for this and you’re being an ass— Ah ah ah, _did I say you could move?_** _”_

She shoved his head against the concrete again as he tried to reach for her. His eyes rolled back as he groaned, but Misty wasn’t done with him yet.

“ **And Kolbalt was _just_ starting to feel better before all this. I’m so very frustrated, in so many ways, and he has one less shirt now, thanks to you. I’m sorry your wedding was ruined. You know what else was ruined? The last 22 years of my delicate way of life.**”

“...Arrre you human?” Gaape slurred. Misty paused and sat up straighter, and then a hysterical giggle erupted from her lips as she dropped his horns, and subsequently, his head.

“ **I’m supposed to be!”**

“Misty,” Kolbalt called, and she looked over to him, still smiling from the hysteria. An unsettled frown sat upon his lips as he reached out, and Misty suddenly realized he was acting that way because of _her_.

He swallowed, his eyes darting to her form. “Your hair.”

She glanced down to see that her hair had grown tremendously in the last minute, her ocean blue locks flowing down onto the sidewalk and pooling in loose coils around her. The brown dye remained at the tips and made a testament to how long it had grown.

She sighed deeply. “Dammit.”

When Misty got up, Gaape’s head lolled to the side and his body went limp, finally unconscious. She didn’t think she hit him that hard, but she got too caught up in the moment to tell.

“Are you okay?” Kolbalt asked her. “Did you, uh, get all that frustration out?”

She nodded as tears sprang to her eyes. “Yeah. I feel...kinda relieved, I guess? Ha ha.”

Kolbalt gave her a long look as she wiped her tears away, and then he wrapped his arms around her. She leaned in, breathing in his scent as she let the comfort wash over her. It wasn’t until she squeezed him back and he let out a pained grunt that she realized that the situation wasn’t over.

“How’s your shoulder?”

“A little tender— aah, easy there!” he yelped as she tried to inspect the new wound. He caught her prying fingers and leaned into her instead.

“Looks like Gaape isn’t coming into work after all,” he muttered.

“He might have a concussion. We should call an ambulance.”

“And my boss.”

“Let’s stay inside for the rest of the day.”

Kolbalt chuckled as he swept her hair back into a loose ponytail with his fingers. “I won’t complain about that. But, uhh…”

He paused, looking over her shoulder, pensive.

“What?”

“You kinda took care of the problem, didn’t you? You don’t have to keep me around?”

His gaze flickered back to her, and she stood silent for a moment to contemplate.

“Do you want to go home?” She asked softly.

Kolbalt frowned. “Truthfully, no.”

“Then stay with me until you want to go.”

His mouth turned into a small, real smile as he carefully threaded his claws between her fingers. “Thank you, Misty.”

“My pleasure,” she replied with a smile of her own. Today may have been a total disaster, and she may have broken her cardinal rules of normalcy, but at least she knew that there was someone who liked her for who she really was.

Any kind of adventure with him would be the best that she could ever have.

“Heeey guys? Do I need to call my own ambulance or what?” Gaape moaned from the sidewalk.

\---@v@---

A few more days passed before Kolbalt fully recovered. The apartment felt empty the moment he left, but the feeling was quickly remedied when he showed up on her doorstep the next day to visit. And the day after that. The next day she came to visit _him_ instead, soaking in the neatly organized, if not cluttered apartment of his own. They decided on a quick schedule afterwards when they both missed each other in an attempt to visit.

Misty pushed in the last of the prongs in her picture frame and turned it around to inspect the photo. Her family’s happy faces greeted her back, and she double checked the orientation before hanging it between the kitchen and the bathroom.

One down, fifteen other wall hangings to go.

A knock on the door broke her concentration, and she went to check the peephole for her guest.

As expected, Kolbalt grinned back at her from the other side.

“I brought ‘em,” he said as she let him in, “Several of my better ones, so you get to pick. So you cut your hair after all?”

She grabbed a lock of her now shoulder length hair as he laid his creations onto the kitchen counter for her to see. Normally she would have dyed it too, but the color was (no pun intended) growing on her.

“It got in the way,” she mentioned. “Does it look weird?”

The demon smiled at her before running a few locks between his claws. “Nah. You look pretty cute.”

She smiled, her cheeks warming a bit, and turned her attention to the woodburnings on the counter.

The first two were similar in design, with silhouettes of pine trees and sloping hills to make a forest, one of them featuring a deer, and the other, a full moon with stars. The third was a small plaque, unlike the log intersections of the previous, where a few intricately drawn irises and ivy framed the scrawling cursive writing.

“Kolbalt,” she started as she picked up the plaque, “This is really basic.”

He scoffed, frowning at her as he put his hand on his hip. “Hey!”

“I didn’t say I didn’t _like_ it!” she defended, “I want this one!”

“If you’re sure.” He shrugged, gathering up the others. She hugged the plaque to her chest and leaned forward to give him a quick peck on the cheek, and Kolbalt immediately flushed red at the contact.

“I know right where to put it.”

She climbed over her futon and hung the piece by the iron ring attached, reading the plaque once more in satisfaction.

_Home is where the heart is._

“It’s perfect,” she said, looking back to Kolbalt. He offered her a hand and she took it, allowing him to help her climb off. She laced her fingers through his own and watched as Kolbalt gave her a soft smile. He leaned down and her eyes closed shut, her heart thudding against her ribcage as his breath tickled her face—

Another knock on the door.

They froze in place, their heads turning in the direction of the sound.

“You said you hadn’t had any more ‘occurrences’, right?” Kolbalt asked quietly, eyes still on the door. Misty squeezed his hand.

“Not since the fight, no.”

He let go and moved to the door. A thick silence reigned over the apartment as Kolbalt looked through the peephole. He twisted the doorknob, and pulled.

“Misty!” A familiar soprano voice rang out. “Listen, I’m freaking out— you’re not my sister. Who are you?!”

Misty bounded over and pulled the door open wider, and there stood her younger sister Mia, looking panicked.

“Who is he? Wait, your hair!” she exclaimed and Misty motioned her to come inside.

“Don’t worry about it. What are you doing here?”

“I— “ she gulped, giving Kolbalt a quick once over before turning her attention back to her sister. “I’m having a _problem_. You’re a master at avoiding situations like this! Tell me how to get out of it!”

“What kind of situation are we talking about?”

Before Mia could explain, a slime came oozing its way into the apartment and trailed up her leg, settling on her shoulder with a _shhlop_!

“Hello! Mia’s going to begin on a magical quest to become queen of the slimes!” its voice rang. “We need companions! Care to join us?”

Kolbalt and Misty shared a look before Misty plucked the creature from her sister and tossed it across the patio. It squealed as it went flying through the air, and she shut the door.

“Go sit down,” Misty ordered. “I’ll make you some tea.”

“Should I go?” Kolbalt offered. She took his hands again and looked him in the eyes.

“No. Your input matters too.”

His eyes lit up as he grinned, and Misty’s heart melted all over again.

“Okay.”

“What happened in the two weeks I didn’t call?” Mia asked, bewildered, already making herself comfortable on the bed with Jingles rushing to her lap. Misty turned on the burner for the kettle before moving back to the living area, taking two of the pillows from behind her to put on the floor. She motioned for Kolbalt to sit alongside her.

“Remember my cardinal rules?” Misty asked. Mia gripped the edge of the bed.

“The ones you made up for this kind of stuff?”

“They didn’t work.” Misty stated. Kolbalt placed his hand on her back gently as she leaned into his side. Mia's mouth dropped open as she pointed at the two of them, clearly in shock.

Misty smiled. “We have a lot to talk about.”

**— The End —**


End file.
